SemiSweet
by Rocku
Summary: A little bitter, a little sweet. RockXKenichi. After a three year hiatus, chapter 3. Thanks for holding on.
1. light and porno

Author's Notes: This is the continuation to the one-shot Chocolate.' I had mixed reactions to it. Some people wanted me to continue with it, others liked it as the one-shot. So, to make everyone happy, I came up with this. I'll leave Chocolate' as the one-shot or pre-story to Semi-sweet,' which will continue with the same ideas I had as Chocolate' and focusing around the same relationship with Rock and Kenichi. I hope this is alright with everyone, and if not then...ummmmm... (runs away)

Disclaimer: (drools)

**Summary: Rock, twenty years old, is becoming more and more depressed every day. The gun he keeps under his pillow is starting to look very tempting. Can a young japanese boy pull him out of his somber state and teach him what lies beyond the sky?The damage was minimum, but the landlord still is uncertain whether he wants to take the said incident to a court hearing. He... uummmm... Rock flipped through the papers he was reciting from, a small amount of sweat forming at his brow.**

The Duke's eyes fell away from the nervous man, his hand writing down something on a piece of paper. Rock's eyes stayed on his father's hand, slowly moving, writing down words, words that he couldn't see. Finally, it stopped, and he looked back up at Rock, the same apathetic stare on his face as always. The stare Rock had become all too familiar with.

The room was filled with the board of directors, some men that were involved in the case Rock was pushed into, and some Rock had never seen before.

He... he didn't... Rock shot out random words just to stall as he flipped violently through the papers looking for the page he needed. I'm sorry... he said, as his eyes darted rapidly back and forth through the text. I had it figured out this morning...Take your time, my boy. The vice president of the meeting smiled reassuringly at Rock, but the Duke leaned back in his chair and focused his eyes on the desk. Rock had known his father long enough to know when he was angry.

Found it. Rock pulled the piece of paper he was looking for out of the pile and put it on top of the others. He regained his posture and continued to read, trying his best not to pass out from the fumes of awkwardness and embarrassment billowing in the room.

..

Semi-sweet  
RockXKenichi

..

Metropolis was so very cold.

Not like it wasn't cold in Japan, it was, but not like this. Kenichi wrapped his scarf around his neck a little tighter and remembered the country that he left behind.

When it snowed in Japan, it was pure white and like flowers, like flowers fluttering down from heaven. And the cold, well it only stayed on the outside. Here, however, in this city, the cold seeps underneath your clothes and bites your skin, so that you're never safe no matter how many layers you're wearing. The snow falling from the sky mixes with the ash and smoke from factories, and it rains down like tears from the clouds.

Kenichi wrapped his arms around his body and moved around a bit. The bus was a little late, and he was anxious to site down in a seat and warm up. It was about two miles to his apartment, but he didn't feel like walking. Not in this cold.

It was about 10 P.M., when around this time the city comes alive. The sun had long since set and darkness had found it's chance to overlap the sky, but the lights of the city were so bright that they covered the stars like a blanket of entertainment, pornography, and cinema.

Light pollution..., Kenichi muttered under his breath, he couldn't understand how these people got used to it. He'd been in Metropolis almost a month now and still couldn't get it through his head how people could live like this. He frowned. Of course, this had no merit coming from him. After all, he was the one who decided to stay here. There was something about the city, something he couldn't quite put his finger on, that he knew he would miss if he ever left.

Finally, the bus pulled up, and the doors flew open. Cold and tired people pushed in front of the young japanese boy, eager to sit in a seat and warm up. Kenichi was the last to step on, and he put seventy five cents in the tray and moved to the back. He was lucky and found an empty seat by the window that he could stare out of and into the bustling city.

As the bus drove on, making stops here and there, Kenichi remembered the conversation he had with his uncle last night. His uncle had made a habit of calling Kenichi every night, just to check in and see how the boy was doing. Kenichi closed his eyes and thought back.

..

I got good news, kid!Really? What? Kenichi moved around his tiny, cluttered kitchen, fixing himself dinner and holding the phone up to his ear with his shoulder.

I'm gonna come visit you in six months. My boss gave me some vacation time. I'll come there and see what kinda conditions you're living in, see if I need to smuggle you back to the country. He laughed.

Kenichi smiled. That's great. I can fix up my place, too. Kenichi looked around his closet sized shit-hole of an apartment. Or, maybe not.So, Ken, ya still working at the flower shop?Mmmm hmmmm.Is the pay enough?Uncle, you ask me this every time you call.I just want to make sure you're doing okay.I'm not going hungry, if that's what you're wondering.Do you have heat and running water? He lied.

Okay Ken, you hang in there. I'll call you tomorrow.Bye, uncle. He turned off his cell and stared out his little window over the sink. It was a horrible view. Just the brick wall of the building next door. He went back to mixing the rice.

Kenichi didn't really mind not having heat. He found a lot of warm blankets at the thrift store that he could wrap tightly around himself before he went to bed. It wasn't too bad. He was lucky he was able to afford electricity. Two days a week he would leave all the lights off and wouldn't use the stove. That way it's not as expensive every month. However, not having running water was very aggravating. Every now and then his downstairs neighbors would let him use their shower. I guess they felt pity towards him. Fifteen year old foreign boy living on his own. Kenichi took their hospitality with open arms. A hot shower feels too good to pass up. Most of the time, however, he would just wash up in public bathrooms. Most bathrooms have locks on the doors, and he would just use the water from the sink and the soap from the dispenser to wash his body. Also, he would brush his teeth every day before he left work at the flower shop (they had a little bathroom in the back). So you see, life wasn't that hard.

Kenichi finished his dinner and put his bowl in the tray he would bring to the wash station on the third floor the next morning. He wrapped himself up in a few blankets and laid down on the couch.

Not enough money for both a bed and a couch.

..

Kenichi fumbled with his key and finally unlocked the door. His apartment was just the way he left it. Small and squished. The main room was about fifteen by six feet with one couch in the middle and some bookshelves to store clothes on. An opening in the wall lead to a much smaller kitchen, with a fridge Kenichi kept unplugged most of the time (unless there was something in there), a stove, and a sink with no water.  
No bathroom in the apartment.

Kenichi was about to turn on the light but remembered it was Thursday. No lights on Thursday. He felt like he might cry but quickly shook his head and rubbed his eyes. Not to worry. The boss might be giving him a raise soon. That would be nice. He decided to splash some cool water on his face only to remember he had no water to do so with.

He grabbed a blanket off the couch and wrapped it around his body as he trudged around the miserable and cold room.

This sucks. He sighed, but his face brightened a bit when he heard a tapping coming from outside the window. The lights from the city were bright enough to illuminate the dark room anyway, so having the lights off wasn't so bad.

Kenichi opened the window and shivered as a gust of cold air came in. Along with the air, however, came a little white owl. It hoped onto the bookshelf and then down to the floor.

Hi, Barry. Kenichi said, as he pulled out a packet of crackers from his pocket. Look! I got you a treat. He put the crackers on the ground and smiled as Barry picked them up in his beak and crunched on them.

Visits from the little owl were something Kenichi looked forward to at the end of a long day working. Being new to the city, he didn't have much time to make new friends, and he really didn't know anybody.

_Except, _Kenichi's mind began to wander as it talked to him. _Except you do know him..._

Kenichi spread his body out on the floor as he looked up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes for a minute and then opened them again. Maybe the cramped apartment was doing weird things to him. He realized now that whenever he was bored he'd end up having these weird arguments with his brain. He looked over at Barry, who was busy eating, and figured owls didn't care whether you were crazy or not. All they cared about is whether you had food.

_Except, you do know him and you like him..._

Kenichi frowned but couldn't help blushing. He rolled over on his side, his eyelids beginning to droop. You're right. I do like him.

_I know I'm right. Why do you like him?_

He closed his eyes. I... I don't know. Is it wrong that I feel this way?

_Is love wrong?_

Now that caught him off guard. He sat up slowly, which caught Barry's attention, and looked out the window at the dirty pollution over the sky.

I don't know.

..

The eyes that looked back at him were way too beautiful. The color of ice under a too hot sun, a glassy reflection of innocence and life.

Gross.

Rock picked up the sunglasses off the rim of the sink and put them over the pools of water. Much better. It was amazing to Rock how much colder a person can look with their eyes covered by darkness, for the eyes were truly the trap door to the human soul. But Rock preferred to keep all doors to his heart and body locked and bolted, with no loop holes visible to sneak inside.

Rock locked the door to his bathroom and lifted up the seat. The window was next to the toilet, but it was impossible to see into his apartment from the street. Plus, while it was open, the cool air felt nice drifting in. Rock emptied his bladder and thought back to the day and how it screwed him over this time. His father, the look in his eyes... no matter how many times Rock saw the look, it never stopped hurting. He shook and zipped up. He walked out and looked around his room. Novelty guns all over the walls. Rock never knew when his fascination for guns started, but it was certainly strong. He could name every part on every riffle from smallest to largest, and in alphabetical order if he wanted to. Some of the guns could still be used, but most were just for show.

Rock sat on the side of his bed and breathed in deeply. He stared at the wall for a moment until his gaze moved over to his pillow. He slid his hand under the soft cushion and felt around.

Cold steel.

He took his hand out and turned off the light on his desk. He laid down on the hard cot and looked up at the ceiling, tracing patterns in the paint with his eyes. Here he would wait for dreams to sneak up on him from the darkness and shadows in the corners of his room.

Sunglasses and all.

__


	2. if it's Necessary then

Semi-Sweet

**Chapter 2**

"Whats'a matter, Ken?"

Kenichi fiddled his fingers on a few petals of a rose plant he was trimming. The greenhouse was sticky, humid, and hot sweat trickled on his brow.

"My uncle's coming for a visit."

"Well, how is that bad?"

"It's not."

"So what's your deal?" His boss was busy putting prices on some of his prized plants and seeds. He was a short man with a bushy white beard, and was Kenichi's best friend.

"My apartment isn't as good as I've described it on the phone. I'm afraid he'll see it and then force me to come back to Japan with him."

"Well that's not so bad. I thought you wanted to go back to Japan."

"I do..."

"Ken, you're losing me..."

"...but my destiny is here. There are just too many memories. I could never leave. Goodness, look at the sky."

His boss stopped what he was doing and looked up at the sky through the glass ceiling of the greenhouse.

"It's all the smoke from the factories. You know what that's called?"

"What?"

" I said do you know what it's called?"

"Yeah, I know, what's it called? Pollution?"

"Wrong! Wait, did you say pollution?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, it's pollution."

"So we're gonna have more acid rain. I tell ya, the weather is ungodly. It's almost like the time of judgment. First it's sunny, then it's cloudy. I bech'ya anything it'll get sunny again in the afternoon. Absolutely ungodly. I keep expecting the ground to break in two and..."

"Ken, take the rest of the day off."

"Really?"

"Nobody ain't gonna come today. I can take care o' things."

Kenichi threw his gardening apron on the counter and gave his boss a hug. He grabbed his jacket and ran out into the numbness.

_aaa_

If humans were like animals then they would surely be penguins. The way they bundle themselves up so their body is straight and stiff, the way they waddle through the streets in herds, one after another, all looking in the same direction. It was funny, and yet it was sad. Sad because Kenichi knew he was part of the mass, that he was a fraction of the mob. God forbid people try to talk to one another in this weather; God forbid they acknowledge their own kind.

Kenichi had no idea where he was going, but he knew he had to keep moving. He thought of some places he enjoyed spending his time. There was the community pool in the upper recesses of Zone 1, but that wouldn't open again for another five months. There was the market in Zone 1, the Asian market that is. He enjoyed looking at the yakitori stalls serving fresh balls of chicken and ox back. He loved to watch the children spend their allowance on the fizzy peach juice the juice man made daily. But he had no appetite today, and no desire to watch people buy the meat and fish they would be cooking for dinner that night.

What he was really in the mood for, and it surprised even him, was the park. Not the beautiful park in Top Gate, no. It was too cold for that, and he never really felt comfortable walking amid people he knew who had far greater sums of cash than he had. No, where he wanted to go was the dome park in Zone 1. He hadn't been there in a long time, but he was hankering for a good walk.

There were some interesting things about the dome park. For one thing, it was in Zone 1, which is strange in itself, considering it's underground. But the people wanted a park, a safe place for their children to go, but above all, a place to see the sun. The people had cut a hole in the metal sky of the underground world, and put a dome over it. It's the only place in Zone 1 that the sun shines through, and the inhabitants are very happy for this. The dome juts out on Top Gate in the shopping plaza near Greenwhich station. It's a popular attraction there as well. The more well off citizens take their children or dates there to peer into the dome, at the people underground who aren't as cash sufficient as they are. Every now and then, you might find a family from Top Gate walking in the park. It's starting to get more popular with the rich people, they say it gives them a chance to connect with the average folk and the history of Metropolis. But Kenichi knew it was a fad, soon the park would be just another old memory pushed in a corner for the people of the top half.

He began walking to the train station. He would be going to one in the north section because it was closest, but he still had over a mile to go. The north section had three stations, so did the south, the east, and the west. Metropolis was big. Oh, so disgustingly big.

As he walked he looked through the windows of clothing stores and boutiques. He loved the new designs of clothes, all the retro fashions and cooky electronic devices. But he liked the ones in Zone 1 better, not to mention all of the antique shops and old school video arcades. There was even a place in Zone 1 that had an old Atari gaming system, and Space Invaders the game from the early 1980s! Such antiques were so hard to find, but Kenichi cherished them, and it was a welcome treat to spend his leftover money fighting aliens.

After some walking, he finally got to the train station, herds of bustling people going in and out of the swinging doors. He walked in, happy at the warm feeling that hit his bones, and began walking to the other end near the escalators. He passed shops, McDonalds and Chinese food stalls, and even a vendor who tried to sell him a pair of sunglasses. But he had a clear idea where he was headed, and didn't stop for any of the temptations. He went down the escalator to the bottom floor, hundreds of people squishing him against the railing as he counted the minutes it took. In actuality, the escalator split into three parts, because there were three different levels. Some people got off at the first split, which were the trains headed for the west section, some at the second, which were the trains headed for the south. But Kenichi stayed on until the third split. When he got off, only electricians and plumbing supervisors were left on going to the basement, a load of subway trains waiting to take them to Zone 2. Kenichi thought he saw a few Marduks along with them.

He got off at the split were the trains were waiting to go to the east section. It wasn't surprising that this is where most of the people got off, considering it was only at the third split that had yet another escalator heading towards the trains that would take people to Zone 1. Kenichi was used to the large amounts of people, hundreds of them on the escalator at a time, going to Zone 1. Some were rich kids going there because it was the "cool" place to hang out, plus there were quite a few places you could purchase alcohol without an ID. If you knew where to look. Then some were regular people going to work, coming back from work, or just going there to do shopping, considering the vast amounts of stores with much cheaper prices on food, clothing, and other living necessities.

The ride was long, and Kenichi was glad that they were in the process of building more ticket vendors where he was headed. They only had 12 down by the Zone 1 trains, and that may seem a lot to someone who had never been to Metropolis, but Kenichi had been there long enough to know it wasn't.

When he finally stepped off the escalator, he again saw stalls for food, souvenirs, and accessories. He walked to the end of the floor where there were three sets of stair cases, each one going down to trains headed to a different section of Zone 1. He had to scratch his head for a moment and remember where the park was located.

Lazarus Avenue.

Which means he would have to take the middle staircase, get on the train, and then switch trains three more times. None of them go directly to Lazarus Ave., just to different stations. He walked briskly down the stairs, sick of the stuffy air already, and anticipating looking at fake flowers. At the bottom of the stairs, more people rushing past him, he saw the twelve ticket booths. He quickly scooted into the shortest line, but it still took fifteen minutes. He supposed people were lucky that train tickets to Zone 1 were so cheap, only about 50 cents. Even though it was just one way.

Determined not to wait for the next train, he bolted through one of the many turnstiles and rushed down to where the trains approached, dodging mothers with babys, teenagers, and older men. He squeezed on right before the doors closed, and positioned himself between a young man in a battered suit reading a newspaper, and a mother holding the hand of her four year old daughter.

When the train started to move, Kenichi stuck with his old alibi: look out the windows into darkness. It probably made time go slower, but he knew, and others could vouch for him, that there were more crazy people on trains going into Zone 1 than anywhere else in Metropolis. Most of them stayed on the trains all day, riding them everywhere they went, if only because sleeping in a booth was much warmer than sleeping outside. Already, Kenchi saw out of the corner of his eye an old skinny man with a beard almost floor length, looking directly at his face, and laughing. The only thing that distracted him from this aggravating scenario was a loud splat! and a barely audible "oops." He looked down and noticed that the four year old had dropped an ice cream she was holding, something Kenichi must have overlooked when he first saw her. She looked up at him. He looked back, and smiled, but she buried her face in her mother's jacket. All the while the old man's laughing heard in the background.

And still three more stops to go.

_aaa_

Kenichi had to squint his eyes when he finally made it to the park. The glass dome surrounding the greenery let in all the light from the upstairs world, and it reflected and seeped into everything it touched. It was nice, though. It was a good change from the steel ceiling over Zone 1, the ceiling that kept the shadows and smoke thriving. Being able to feel a little sun was a good thing.

His feet began moving on their own. He didn't think much of it, but rather enjoyed the scenery that met his eyes. A woman with her herd of children, a man walking his dog, a couple taking a jog together. However, as he continued walking, the people became less and less. The only person he now saw in the distance was a man sprawled out on a bench. He didn't need to squint his eyes, and he didn't need to stop in his tracks to contemplate anything. He already knew who it was.

The man's fingers were spread across his face, with enough space between each one so the sun could hit his glasses and create a blinding glint. Kenichi kept his pace slow and quiet, but he was pretty sure the man couldn't hear him. Even in a park the noises from Zone 1 were deafening.

Kenichi's eyes began to water, but he convinced himself that it was only the sun. He shielded his eyes to make the farce more believable, as he walked forward to, what he believed, was his destiny.

"Sleeping on a bench like that, people will think you're homeless..."

Rock turned his head toward Kenichi and lowered his shades so that his eyes were visible. He lifted a quizzical brow at the perplexed Japanese boy. Kenichi shrugged, "or just crazy," he said, scratching the back of his neck and looking out over the distance. Rock let out an uncomfortable moan and rolled over so that his back was toward the young man.

"Does that mean you want me to leave?"

Rock lifted his hand, looking almost like he would wave, but decided against it and ended up flipping Kenichi the bird.

The boy breathed out heavy through his nose, a little bit hurt and aggravated by the cold shoulder, and flopped down on the bench in the small amount of space left next to the older man's feet. He was pretty sure it wasn't just coincidence that brought him here to this very park on this very day, and he wasn't about to leave without a fight. Or at least without a decent conversation that didn't end with Rock pissing all over his metaphorical shoe.

Next to him, Rock very slowly and uncomfortably began to sit up. He placed his feet on the ground and continued to make gross noises, from gurgling to bones cracking. Kenichi turned his head barely enough to see Rock out of the corner of his eye, but what met his gaze was not a very attractive sight. Rock sat very still, staring at the artificial grass. He looked almost as though he were waiting for something, and Kenichi's worst fear and estimate about the whole situation was finally put to rest when Rock vomited all over the ground.

Kenichi pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes for a while. When he opened them he saw Rock walking- swaying, rather- over to a pipe coming out of the earth. He turned the top and water began to spurt out, which he then used to wash out his mouth and his face. Then, he did something very predictable: he began to walk back the way he came.

A woman who saw the whole fiasco stood toward the side of the path, watching Rock pass with an undefinable look of horror on her face. Kenichi stood up, quick and confused, and made a dash to catch up to the older man.

"Rock, you can't just- I mean - you gotta clean it up..."

"It's nature, Kenichi. It'll... disintegrate."

Kenichi was surprised the thought never crossed his mind before, but it did at that moment. Rock was still drunk.

It wasn't until they had made it back out through the entrance to the park that Kenichi realized he was still trotting next to Rock. He didn't seem to object, either that or he didn't notice, but either way, Kenichi came to the conclusion that it was better than trotting alone.


End file.
